Pensions well-earned by public employees

Re: your July 26 article, "Feeling the pinch of public pensions," and Gareth Neumann's July 29 letter, "Get rid of pensions":

First, The Star's article was misleading. It printed a list of retirees who are receiving more than $100,000 retirements with connections to area employers. What it failed to mention was that many, if not all, on the list were department heads or upper-level managers.

Had The Star checked the CalPERS Web site, it would have found that as of June 2008, there were 476,252 retirees/survivors/beneficiaries receiving a monthly allowance. The average monthly service retirement allowance for all retirees is $1,985, and the average years of service for all retirees is 20. The average age at retirement is 60. Perhaps the most important fact is that 75 percent of all service retirees receive less than $36,000 a year.

As to the school retirees, the average monthly retirement allowance is $1,079 for miscellaneous members with an average of 16.6 years of service. Obviously, the rank and file of these agencies and school districts are not receiving outrageous checks. Are our retirements better than someone who has not worked for a government agency? Maybe so.

However, I think that it's important to understand that during a public safety member's career, they are providing 24/7 protection for the community. We were required to work holidays, birthdays, special days, etc., so that everyone living in our community was safe. Many of us sustained injuries that ended our careers and which now cause us pain every day. While we may have learned to live with the pain, it's not easy to explain to a grandchild why you cannot pick them up when they want to be held or do some of the things that other grandparents can do.

Second, regarding Neumann's statement, "I guess there is a great health plan that no one else can afford — whether you're working or retired": Let me tell you about "my great health plan." Since I retired in 1996, I have always paid for my health insurance, which, until two years ago, was at the city of Ventura's rate. When the city decided to put the retirees into their own group, my insurance went up 130 percent. I now pay more than $600 per month for just myself for an HMO (Kaiser).

The other option that the city offered to retirees was a plan that had a premium of approximately $600 per month, plus a deductible of $500, plus an out-of-pocket maximum of $2,500.

Further, the out of pocket does not apply to deductibles, co-payments, prescription drug benefits, charges above the allowable charges covered by the plan or charges for services not covered under the plan. When you do the math, these are not great plans!

As to Neumann's remark that he works harder and longer hours and has more responsibility than those in public jobs, he needs to attend a citizen's academy or go on a ride-along to fully understand the jobs of those in public safety.

They don't always have the option to go home to their families or be there on those special days. They're the ones who respond when someone is breaking into your home or your house is on fire. They're the ones who must tell a parent or other family member that their loved one has just been killed. They're the ones digging out people buried in a landslide.

They're the ones we bury because they chose a career with a responsibility to keep the community safe and, in some instances, to lay down their life in order to live up to that responsibility.

Neumann needs to walk a day in those shoes before he demands that public employees give up pensions.

— Jackie Quintana of Ventura is a retired corporal with the Ventura Police Department.